This invention relates to devices and methods for bi-directional communication between a gateway module and an Internet server system. The new interface device decouples an Internet communication system from a gateway module that interfaces a device network and a local area network or computer in order for the interface device to select an efficient communication channel for the gateway module.
Telemetry gateway devices have been commercially available since approximately the late 1990's. A telemetry gateway device may perform the primary function of providing a communications channel between a computer network and an intelligent device network. Intelligent device networks serve the function of providing machine control and monitoring for a variety of applications such as air conditioning, lighting control, pumping systems and many other types of machine control and monitoring functions. Intelligent device networks may rely on protocols and technologies for communication that are not compatible with standard computer networks, hence the need for a telemetry gateway device. Additionally, telemetry gateway devices typically perform master-control functions such as scheduling, conditional logic execution and historical data logging.
In the role of translator between a computer network and a device network, the telemetry gateway may have an interface that is accessible via the computer network. This interface typically allows read/write access to the intelligent device network in such a way that certain details of the intelligent device network protocols and/or communication methodologies are abstracted and simplified. While this network-accessible telemetry gateway interface is useful for software systems residing on the local computer network along with the telemetry gateway, when internet connectivity is required such interfaces may not be accessible due to local computer network security constraints, e.g. firewalls, and other interface issues.
Some telemetry gateway devices attempt to circumvent the local computer network security constraints by implementing a “push” mechanism whereby data updates generated by the device network are delivered outbound to the internet server system, typically using mechanisms such as HTTP. While effective in some circumstances, this approach has very definite limitations in that changes or adaptations to protocols, methodologies or approaches in communications require a modification to the core telemetry gateway software module for the Internet, which will likely compromise or materially alter the functionality of the module.